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Changes to Central Library

The Music Library and Children’s Library are in a separate building from the rest of Central Library. This building has now been sold and we will be moving those services into the main building. We hope to complete this move by early 2014. This gives us the opportunity to provide a fantastic Children’s Library that is bigger than at present, as well as an up-to-date and accessible Music Library. The third part of the change will be in the modernisation and extension of our service to visually impaired users, who will be able to access their service from many more of our libraries.

FAQs

Why has the City of Edinburgh Council sold the building which houses the Children’s Library and the Music Library?
It is in very poor condition. There is no disabled access to the Music Library and no suitable toilet facilities for children.

Where in the Central Library building will the Children’s Library and the Music Library go?
The Music Library will move to the Mezzanine area and the Children’s Library will move to the ground floor on the corner of George IV Bridge and Victoria Street.

Will this affect the Central Library Resource Centre for people with visual impairments?
Yes, it will. The Resource Centre will not remain in its present form. However, access technology will continue to be available along with staff support by appointment. We will extend access technology and staff support by appointment across all of our libraries, a move which the RNIB supports.

Will anyone be losing his or her job?
No. Current Resource Centre staff will be supporting customers with a visual impairment all over Edinburgh.

Customers who use the Resource Centre enjoy the support they get from meeting other people with similar issues. How will you address this?
We will organise more activities, events and opportunities for social contact for our VI customers. These will take place at venues that we will identify with the help of VI customers.

Have you taken any steps to involve users in what happens to the service for customers with visual impairments?
We want to make sure that VI people have every chance to assist us in shaping the extension of access across the City. We will be setting up focus groups, and we will be asking which libraries should be the first to get the new, extended service.

Is there enough space in the main building to accommodate the Music Library?
The layout of the present Music Library does not give us the chance to use the space effectively. Moving to the main building gives us the chance to redesign the service, making better use of the space available, and making it a Music Library fit for the 21st Century.

Will you be disposing of any stock?
We have identified storage for Music Library stock within the Main Building. Library staff routinely dispose of stock that is in poor condition or out of date and we will continue to do this. Staff work to guidelines and plans when managing stock, as well as receiving professional training in stock management.

Will there still be quiet study space available?
The Edinburgh and Scottish Collection and the Reference Library will continue to have quiet study space.

Will the children’s library be open the same hours as the rest of the building?
That is our aim.

How can I keep up to date with what is going on?
We will be using Facebook and twitter to give regular updates on progress.

If you have any other questions or want to tell us what you think of these moves, we’d love to hear from you– please email libraries@edinburgh.gov.uk or fill in one of the comments postcards which we will have available